Many of us have felt the urge to do something good. Maybe we chose to offer help to the panhandler on the corner with a few coins or sent money to help those affected by the seemingly endless number of fires, floods, or other natural disasters. Maybe, instead of money, you volunteered time at your local food bank, or your church’s auxiliary, or coaching children’s sports. The urge to help others is visceral – but is the urge always converted to action?
Philanthropy is defined as the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially through generous financial donations to good causes. Most people, however, have a difficult time bringing to life the details of how they might “give something back” to their community. The most common barrier is that they aren’t aware of a practical way to contribute.
The community foundation movement began as a way to help citizens find a meaningful way toward the betterment of their own communities. The first community foundation in Canada was created in Winnipeg in 1921. Almost a century later, there are 191 community foundations across the nation, one of which is located right here in Creston. Founded in 2005, the Creston-Kootenay Foundation helps to connect donors to causes that they care about, making the Creston and district community more vibrant and resilient.
How do the details work? The Creston-Kootenay Foundation’s mandate is to manage an endowment for the benefit of the community. Different types of funds address a number of facets of the quality of life in our community, facets that have been important to past donors. Funds to support quality of life for seniors, the environment, healthy living, and community sports have been established. There are agency funds which specifically assist PAWS, Valley Community Services, the Hospice Society, and the Creston Valley Hospital. There are also scholarship funds that aid students pursuing post-secondary education, specifically in the fields of music and firefighting. Last but not least, the Unrestricted Community Fund is our most flexible and responsive source of grants, with support that can be directed to any deserving local cause, or causes, each year as determined by a local committee.
The Foundation collects donations that have ranged from $10 to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and pools these gifts to build the endowment. From our beginning in 2005 to the start of 2018 the Foundation has received more than $2 million dollars from more than 350 different donors. The endowment is invested, and the returns each year are granted back into the community. In 2017 those grants totalled $55,000 and supported work like the Rotary Club’s construction project at the museum, educational programs, the purchase of equipment at the hospital, picnic tables for the Canyon Park and others.
Did you know that ours is one of the fastest growing community foundations in Canada? Two million dollars may sound like a large amount, but imagine if our local endowment were $10 million, making $400,000 to $500,000 available to do great things in our community, year after year! We can get there in time, with each of us contributing to this legacy in our own way. Whether it’s a gift today, or a plan to leave a gift in the future, every contribution joins others from your friends and neighbours and will work to improve our community this year, next year, and every year after that!
If you would like to learn more about the Creston-Kootenay Foundation, please send an email to ckfcreston@gmail.com or call 250-254-6012.